JP7588564B2 - Central billing processing device, toll collection system, exit billing processing device, billing processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a central billing processing device, a toll collection system, an exit billing processing device, a billing processing method, and a program.

The Electronic Toll Collection System (ETC (registered trademark)) used on toll roads enables automatic toll collection (payment processing) for vehicles in motion by wirelessly communicating between wireless communication devices installed in each lane at the toll gate and onboard units installed in vehicles.

A known technology related to this type of processing is the toll collection system disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2017-134476 A

However, the system in Patent Document 1 does not link with the road toll collection system and does not collect tolls by reflecting the discounted toll when traveling on a detour in the collected toll, so the discounted toll cannot be reflected in the toll collection immediately.
In other words, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is not a toll collection system, but a system that provides detour guidance to vehicles traveling on toll roads.
For example, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a system that notifies a vehicle, via a car navigation system or the like, of information regarding a discount that can be offered by taking a detour to avoid congestion, the determined fare (discount fare), and the detour.
For example, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a system that determines detour routes and corresponding discount tolls.
For example, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a system that notifies vehicles of detours and discounted tolls.
For example, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a system that calculates discounted tolls for detours and provides guidance to vehicles.
For this reason, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot immediately charge or provide information on discounted or surcharged tolls. For example, the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot immediately charge or provide information on discounted or surcharged tolls by reflecting congestion information in the road toll system.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a central billing processing device, a toll collection system, an exit billing processing device, a billing processing method, and a program that can instantly charge or instantly inform of a discounted toll or surcharge at the exit of a toll road.

In order to solve the above problem, the central billing processing device according to the present disclosure includes a target entrance acquisition unit that acquires a target entrance related to a congested section in the congestion status or congestion forecast of a toll road, a target exit acquisition unit that acquires a target exit related to the congested section, a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target entrance from an entrance billing processing device installed at the target entrance, a table creation unit that creates a notification table that includes fare fluctuation information based on the congested section so as to be associated with the vehicle identification information, and a distribution unit that distributes the notification table to an exit billing processing device installed at the target exit.

The exit billing processing device according to the present disclosure is an exit billing processing device installed at a target exit related to the congestion status or congestion forecast of a toll road, and includes a recording processing unit that records a notification table including fare fluctuation information based on the congestion status or congestion forecast distributed from a central billing processing device so as to be associated with vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at a target entrance related to the congestion status or congestion forecast, on a recording medium within the exit billing processing device, an exit vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires exit vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target exit, and a billing processing unit that refers to the notification table to identify the fare fluctuation information associated with the exit vehicle identification information and perform billing processing with a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information.

The billing processing method according to the present disclosure obtains a target entrance related to the congestion condition or congestion forecast of a toll road, obtains a target exit related to the congestion condition or the congestion forecast, obtains vehicle information including vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target entrance from an entrance billing processing device installed at the target entrance, creates a notification table including fare fluctuation information based on the congestion condition or the congestion forecast in association with the vehicle identification information, and distributes the notification table to an exit billing processing device installed at the target exit.

The billing processing method according to the present disclosure records a notification table, which contains toll change information based on the congestion status or congestion forecast of a toll road distributed from a central billing processing device, in association with vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at a target entrance related to the congestion status or congestion forecast, on a recording medium in an exit billing processing device installed at a target exit related to the congestion status or congestion forecast, obtains exit vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target exit, refers to the notification table to identify the toll change information related to the exit vehicle identification information, and performs billing processing with a billing amount according to the toll change information.

The program disclosed herein causes a computer of a central billing processing device to acquire a target entrance related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of a toll road, acquire a target exit related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast, acquire vehicle information including vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target entrance from an entrance billing processing device installed at the target entrance, create a notification table including fare fluctuation information based on the congestion situation or congestion forecast in association with the vehicle identification information, and distribute the notification table to an exit billing processing device installed at the target exit.

The program disclosed herein causes a computer of an exit billing processing device installed at a target exit related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of a toll road to record a notification table in a recording medium within the exit billing processing device, the notification table including fare fluctuation information based on the congestion situation or congestion forecast distributed from a central billing processing device so as to be associated with vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at a target entrance related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast, obtain exit vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target exit, refer to the notification table to identify the fare fluctuation information associated with the exit vehicle identification information, and perform billing processing with a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information.

The central billing processing device, toll collection system, exit billing processing device, billing processing method, and program disclosed herein enable immediate billing or notification of discounted or surcharged tolls at the exit of a toll road.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a fee collection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a central charging processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an entrance charging processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an exit charging processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a main line billing processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an entrance FF charging processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of vehicle information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a central charging processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of an exit charging processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a toll collection system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Overall configuration of the toll collection system)
The toll collection system 9 shown in FIG. 1 is an electronic toll collection system (ETC) and is applied to toll collection for a toll road U managed by a road operator.

The configuration of the toll road U will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the toll road U has an entrance toll gate G2 and an entrance free flow G5 as entrances IN on a main road LM.
The toll road U further has an exit toll booth G3 as an exit OUT on the main road LM.
For example, the toll road U may further include a main line toll gate G4 on the main line LM.

Vehicle A arrives at entrance IN, intending to enter toll road U from a general road.

For example, the entrance toll booth G2 may be located in the incoming lane L2.
At that time, vehicle A travels on the incoming lane L2, arrives at the entrance toll gate G2, and travels on the toll road U after passing through the entrance toll gate G2.
For example, the entrance toll gate G2 may be equipped with a wireless communication device for wireless communication with the onboard unit C of the arriving vehicle A, and a vehicle type discrimination device capable of identifying the vehicle type classification based on detection results such as the number of axles of vehicle A.

For example, the entrance free flow G5 may be provided in the entrance FF lane L2F.
The entrance FF lane L2F is a FF (free flow) lane, and is an entry lane that does not have a toll gate.
For example, the entrance free flow G5 may be provided with a wireless communication device for wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted device C of the arriving vehicle A.

Vehicle A, which is about to exit the toll road U onto an ordinary road, arrives at the exit toll gate G3.
For example, the exit toll booth G3 may be located in the exit lane L3.
At that time, vehicle A travels along toll road U and arrives at exit toll gate G3, and after passing through exit toll gate G3, travels along exit lane L3 and returns to the general road.
For example, a wireless communication device that performs billing processing for the approaching vehicle A via wireless communication, a roadside display that immediately notifies the collected billing amount, etc. may be provided on the roadside of the exit lane L3.

The main line toll gate G4 is a toll gate provided on the main line LM and is also called a collection toll gate. A vehicle A traveling on the main line LM of the toll road U passes through the main line toll gate G4.
For example, each lane of the main toll gate G4 may be provided with a wireless communication device, a vehicle type discrimination device, etc. similar to those at the entrance toll gate G2.

Next, the toll collection system 9 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the toll collection system 9 includes a central charging processing device 1 and an exit charging processing device 3 .
For example, the fee collection system 9 may further include an entrance charging processing device 2 and an entrance FF charging processing device 5 as entrance charging processing devices.
For example, the toll collection system 9 may further include a main line billing processing device 4 .

For example, the fee collection system 9 may be connected to the information definition system 7 and obtain various definition information from the information definition system 7 .
For example, the toll collection system 9 may be connected to the congestion information system 8 and linked with the congestion information system 8. In this case, the toll collection system 9 may obtain congestion information including a real-time congestion situation or a real-time congestion forecast of the toll road U from the congestion information system 8. Note that the congestion situation and the congestion forecast include actual sections of congestion on the expressway.

The central billing processing device 1 is communicatively connected to billing processing devices installed at each toll booth and FF lane of the toll road U via a wide area communication network, and aggregates the information sequentially received from each billing processing device and distributes it to each billing processing device.

The entrance charging processing device 2 is a device installed at the entrance toll gate G2. If the entrance toll gate G2 has a plurality of lanes, the entrance charging processing device 2 is installed at each lane.
The entrance charging processing device 2 acquires vehicle information (described later) of vehicle A passing through the lane of the entrance toll gate G2, and transmits this vehicle information to the central charging processing device 1.
For example, if a vehicle type discrimination device capable of discriminating the vehicle type classification of vehicle A is installed in each lane of the entrance toll gate G2, the vehicle information transmitted by the entrance charging processing device 2 may include vehicle type classification information related to the discriminated vehicle type classification.

The exit charging processing device 3 is installed at the exit OUT of the toll road U.
For example, the exit charging processing device 3 may be a device installed at the exit toll booth G3.
For example, if there are multiple lanes at the exit toll booth G3, the exit charging processing device 3 may be installed in each lane.
The exit billing processing device 3 stores the notification table TT distributed from the central billing processing device 1 in a local recording medium within the device itself.
For example, the exit billing processing device 3 may refer to the notification table TT distributed from the central billing processing device 1 and perform real-time billing and real-time notification based on the correct vehicle type classification, etc., for each vehicle A passing through each lane.
For example, the exit charging processing device 3 may obtain vehicle information of vehicle A passing through the lane of the exit toll gate G3 and transmit this to the central charging processing device 1.

The main line billing processing device 4 is a device installed at the main line toll gate G4. If the main line toll gate G4 has multiple lanes, the main line billing processing device 4 is installed at each lane.
For example, the main line billing processing device 4 may store in a local recording medium the notification table TT distributed from the central billing processing device 1. In this case, the main line billing processing device 4 may determine whether or not the vehicle information acquired from vehicle A passing through the lane of the main line toll gate G4 has already been recorded in the notification table TT stored in the local recording medium, and may transmit the acquired vehicle information to the central billing processing device 1 depending on the result of the determination.

The entrance FF charging processing device 5 is a device installed at the entrance free flow G5.
The entrance FF charging processing device 5 is installed on the entrance FF lane L2F. Like the entrance charging processing device 2, the entrance FF charging processing device 5 acquires vehicle information of the vehicle A traveling on the entrance FF lane L2F and transmits the vehicle information to the central charging processing device 1.
For example, a vehicle type discrimination device may not be installed in the entrance FF lane L2F. In this case, the vehicle information transmitted by the entrance FF charging processor 5 may not include vehicle type classification information.
Incidentally, the entrance charging processor 2, the entrance FF charging processor 5, and the exit charging processor 3 may be partially installed on or near the lanes and partially installed away from the lanes.

(Functional configuration of the central billing processing device)
As shown in FIG. 2, the central billing processing device 1 functionally comprises a target entrance acquisition unit 101 , a target exit acquisition unit 102 , a vehicle information acquisition unit 103 , a table creation unit 104 , and a distribution unit 105 .

For example, the central billing processing device 1 may have a hardware configuration including a CPU 10, a memory 11, a communication interface 12, and a recording medium 13.

The CPU 10 is a processor that performs various functions by operating according to a program prepared in advance. The functions of the CPU 10 will be described later.
The memory 11 is a so-called main storage device, and has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 10 .
The communication interface 12 is a connection interface for connecting to each billing processing device, the information definition system 7, the traffic congestion information system 8, etc. so as to be able to communicate with them via a wide area communication network.
The recording medium 13 is a so-called auxiliary storage device, and is a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). In this embodiment, a notification table TT is recorded on the recording medium 13.

Next, we will explain the functions of the CPU 10 of the central billing processing device 1.

For example, the CPU 10 may function as a target entrance acquisition unit 101, a target exit acquisition unit 102, a vehicle information acquisition unit 103, a table creation unit 104, and a distribution unit 105 by operating according to a pre-prepared program.

The target entrance acquisition unit 101 acquires a target entrance IN1 related to a congested section in the congestion status or congestion forecast of the toll road U.

For example, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may acquire information on the entrance IN, definition information on the target entrance IN1, and definition information on the congested section from the information definition system 7.
On the other hand, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may periodically acquire congestion information including a real-time congestion situation or a real-time congestion forecast of the toll road U from the congestion information system 8.
For example, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may identify a congested section in real time based on the acquired congestion information and definition information of the congested section.
Furthermore, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may acquire the target entrance IN1 by identifying the target entrance IN1 based on the acquired definition information of the congested section and the target entrance.
The definition information may be periodically distributed from the information definition system 7 to the central billing processing device 1. The same applies to the definition information required below.

For example, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may acquire, as the target entrance IN1, an entrance IN on the same route as the congested section, or an entrance IN heading towards the congested section.
For example, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may acquire as the target entrance IN1 all entrances IN upstream of the congested section, including entrances IN on the same route as the congested section and entrances IN heading toward the congested section.
For example, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may acquire as target entrances IN1 all entrances IN including entrances IN upstream of the congested section and entrances IN within the congested section, entrances IN on the same route as the congested section, and entrances IN heading towards the congested section.

The target exit acquisition unit 102 acquires the target exit OUT1 associated with the congestion section in the congestion situation or congestion forecast for the toll road U.

For example, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may acquire information on the exit OUT, definition information of the target exit OUT1, and definition information of the congested section from the information definition system 7.
On the other hand, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may periodically acquire congestion information including a real-time congestion situation or a real-time congestion forecast of the toll road U from the congestion information system 8.
For example, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may identify a congested section in real time based on the acquired congestion information and definition information of the congested section.
Furthermore, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may acquire the target exit OUT1 by identifying the target exit OUT1 based on the acquired definition information of the congested section and the target exit.

For example, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may acquire as the target exit OUT1 all of the exits OUT downstream of the target entrance IN1, including exits OUT on the same route as the congested section, exits OUT heading toward the congested section, exits OUT within the congested section, and exits OUT heading away from the congested section.

For example, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may acquire a target exit OUT1 just before the congested section, a target exit OUT1 within the congested section, and a target exit OUT1 beyond the congested section.
In this case, the target exit OUT1 before the congested section may be a target exit OUT1 provided further upstream than the upstream end of the congested section.
Furthermore, the target exit OUT1 in the congested section may be a target exit OUT1 provided between the upstream end and the downstream end of the congested section.
Furthermore, the target exit OUT1 at the end of the congested section may be a target exit OUT1 provided further downstream than the downstream end of the congested section.
For example, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may distinguish the target exit OUT1 into a target exit OUT1 just before the congested section, a target exit OUT1 within the congested section, and a target exit OUT1 at the end of the congested section.

The vehicle information acquisition unit 103 acquires vehicle information D, including vehicle identification information DI, of the vehicle A that has arrived at the target entrance IN1, from the entrance charging processing device installed at the target entrance IN1.
For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 may acquire vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance toll gate G2 of the target entrance IN1 from an entrance charging processing device 2 installed at the target entrance IN1.
For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 may acquire vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance free flow G5 of the target entrance IN1 from the entrance FF billing processing device 5 installed at the target entrance IN1.

For example, the vehicle information D acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 may include vehicle identification information DI capable of identifying the vehicle A, as well as vehicle type classification information DC determined using detection results such as the number of axles of the vehicle A.
For example, the number of axles is detected by the tires of a traveling vehicle A sequentially stepping on treads (described later) installed on the road surface; in other words, it may be one aspect of a feature detected as vehicle A travels.
For example, in other embodiments, the feature detected as vehicle A travels is not limited to the number of axles, but may be, for example, the vehicle length detected based on an optical sensor or the like.

For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 may further acquire vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance toll gate G2 from an entrance charging processing device 2 installed at a location other than the target entrance IN1.
For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 may further acquire vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance free flow G5 from an entrance FF charging processing device 5 installed at a location other than the target entrance IN1.
For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 may further acquire vehicle information including the exit vehicle identification information DJ of the vehicle A that has arrived at the exit toll gate G3 from the exit charging processing device 3.
For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 may further acquire vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of vehicle A that has arrived at the main line toll gate G4 from the main line charging processing device 4.

The table creation unit 104 creates a notification table TT that includes the fare fluctuation information DV based on the congested section in association with the vehicle identification information DI of the vehicle A that has arrived at the target entrance IN1.
For example, the notification table TT may include vehicle type classification information DC.
For example, the price fluctuation information DV may include a discount rate and a surcharge rate.

For example, the table creating unit 104 may acquire definition information of a congested section and definition information of a discount rate and a surcharge rate related to the congested section from the information definition system 7 .
On the other hand, the table creation unit 104 may obtain congestion information including a real-time congestion situation or a real-time congestion forecast of the toll road U from the congestion information system 8.
For example, the table creating unit 104 may identify a congested section in real time based on the acquired congestion information and definition information of the congested section.
Furthermore, the table creation unit 104 may calculate real-time discount rates and surcharge rates based on the acquired congested sections and definition information of the discount rates and surcharge rates related to the congested sections, and include the calculated discount rates and surcharge rates in the notification table TT as fare fluctuation information DV.

For example, in the notification table TT, the fare fluctuation information DV may be related to the positional relationship between the congested section and the target exit OUT1.
For example, the table creation unit 104 may use definition information of the discount rate and surcharge rate to associate, as fare fluctuation information DV, information that a Pa % discount is applied to a target exit OUT1 just before the congested section, information that a Pb % discount (Pb % < Pa %) is applied to a target exit OUT1 within the congested section, and information that a Pc % surcharge is applied to a target exit OUT1 beyond the congested section.

For example, the table creation unit 104 may aggregate vehicle information D received from each billing processing device to create an all-vehicle information table, and then attach fare change information DV to the created all-vehicle information table to create a notification table TT including the fare change information DV.
For example, the table creation unit 104 may add the vehicle information D successively received from the entrance billing processing device 2, the main line billing processing device 4, and the entrance FF billing processing device 5 to the notification table TT as the vehicle information D of a vehicle A that has newly entered the toll road U. On the other hand, the table creation unit 104 may exclude the vehicle information D of a vehicle A that has newly exited the toll road U from the notification table TT, and may consolidate these to update the notification table TT.

The distribution unit 105 distributes the notification table TT, which includes the fee fluctuation information DV created by the table creation unit 104, to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.
For example, the distribution unit 105 may distribute the notification table TT to each of the exit charging processing devices 3 installed at all of the target exits OUT1.
For example, the distribution unit 105 may distribute the same notification table TT to all target exits OUT1.
Furthermore, the distribution unit 105 may distribute the notification table TT to an exit billing processing device 3 installed at an exit OUT other than the target exit OUT1.
The distribution unit 105 may also distribute the notification table TT to the entrance charging processing device 2, the main line charging processing device 4, the entrance FF charging processing device 5, and the like.

(Functional configuration of the entrance charging processing device)
As shown in FIG. 3, the entrance charging processing device 2 functionally comprises a recording processing unit 201 , an entrance vehicle information acquiring unit 202 , an entrance transmitting unit 203 , and an in-vehicle information writing unit 204 .

For example, the entrance charging processing device 2 may have a hardware configuration including a CPU 20, a memory 21, a communication interface 22, a roadside equipment interface 23, and a recording medium 24.

The CPU 20 is a processor that performs various functions by operating according to a program prepared in advance. The functions of the CPU 20 will be described later.
The memory 21 has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 20 .
The communication interface 22 is a connection interface for communicatively connecting to the central billing processing device 1 via a wide area communication network.
The roadside equipment interface 23 is a connection interface for communicating with roadside equipment (wireless communication device 2A, vehicle type discrimination device 2B) provided on each lane of the entrance toll gate G2.
The recording medium 24 is a local recording medium provided within the entrance charging processing device 2, and is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD.

Next, we will explain the roadside equipment (wireless communication device 2A, vehicle type discrimination device 2B) connected to the entrance charging processing device 2.

The wireless communication device 2A performs wireless communication using DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) with the on-board device C (Figure 1) of the vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance toll gate G2, and acquires various information recorded in the on-board device C (on-board device ID, IC card information, vehicle number, etc.).

The vehicle type discrimination device 2B is a device that can identify the correct vehicle type classification of a traveling vehicle. The vehicle type discrimination device 2B detects the number of axles of vehicle A passing through the lane through a footboard, a vehicle detector, etc. As a result, the vehicle type discrimination device 2B identifies the vehicle type classification information DC of the traveling vehicle A using the detection result of the number of axles of the passing vehicle A.

Next, we will explain the functions of the CPU 20 of the entrance billing processing device 2.

The CPU 20 operates according to a pre-prepared program to perform the functions of a recording processing unit 201, an entrance vehicle information acquisition unit 202, an entrance transmission unit 203, and an on-board device information writing unit 204.

The recording processing unit 201 records data relating to each process on the local recording medium 24 .
For example, the recording processing unit 201 may record the notification table TT delivered from the central billing processing device 1 onto the local recording medium 24 .

The entrance vehicle information acquisition unit 202 acquires vehicle information D of the vehicle A that has arrived at the entrance toll gate G2 through the wireless communication device 2A and the vehicle type discrimination device 2B. The vehicle information D acquired here includes vehicle identification information DI that can identify the vehicle A, and vehicle type classification information DC that is determined using at least the detection result of the number of axles of the vehicle A.

The entrance transmission unit 203 transmits vehicle information D, which includes vehicle identification information DI and vehicle type classification information DC, to the central billing processing device 1.

The vehicle-mounted device information writing unit 204 reads the vehicle-mounted device vehicle type classification information that is preregistered in the vehicle-mounted device C (Figure 1) and writes it to the IC card set in the vehicle-mounted device C.

(Functional configuration of the egress billing processing device)
As shown in FIG. 4, the exit billing processing device 3 functionally comprises a recording processing unit 301 , an exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302 , and a billing processing unit 305 .
For example, the exit billing processing device 3 may further include an exit transmitting unit 303 and an in-vehicle information reading unit 304 as functional elements.

For example, the hardware configuration of the exit billing processing device 3 may include a CPU 30, a memory 31, a communication interface 32, a roadside equipment interface 33, and a recording medium 34.

The CPU 30 is a processor that performs various functions by operating according to a pre-prepared program. The functions of the CPU 30 will be described later.
The memory 31 has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 30 .
The communication interface 32 is a connection interface for communicatively connecting to the central billing processing device 1 via a wide area communication network.
The roadside equipment interface 33 is a connection interface for communicating with roadside equipment (wireless communication device 3A, roadside display 3B) provided in each lane of the exit toll gate G3.
The recording medium 34 is a local recording medium provided within the exit billing processing device 3, and is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD.

Next, we will explain the roadside equipment (wireless communication device 3A, roadside display 3B) connected to the exit billing processing device 3.

The wireless communication device 3A performs wireless communication using DSRC with the on-board device C (FIG. 1) of the vehicle A that has arrived at the exit toll gate G3, and acquires various information (vehicle identification information) recorded in the on-board device C. In addition, at the exit toll gate G3, charging processing is performed through wireless communication by the wireless communication device 3A.
The roadside display 3B is a display device that displays (instantly notifies) the amount charged, etc. to the traveling vehicle A (user) when the charging process via wireless communication is completed.

Next, we will explain the functions of the CPU 30 of the exit billing processing device 3.

The CPU 30 operates according to a pre-prepared program to perform the functions of a recording processing unit 301, an exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302, an exit transmission unit 303, an on-board device information reading unit 304, and a billing processing unit 305.

The recording processing unit 301 records the notification table TT, which includes the fee fluctuation information DV distributed from the central billing processing device 1, on the recording medium 34 in the exit billing processing device 3 (within its own device).
For example, the recording processing unit 301 may update the contents recorded on the recording medium 34 based on a notification table TT periodically delivered from the central billing processing device 1 .

The exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302 acquires the exit vehicle identification information DJ of the vehicle A that has arrived at the exit OUT.
For example, the exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302 may acquire vehicle information of the vehicle A that has arrived at the exit toll gate G3 through the wireless communication device 3A. At that time, the acquired vehicle information may include exit vehicle identification information DJ that can identify the vehicle A from other vehicles.

The exit transmission unit 303 transmits vehicle information including the exit vehicle identification information DJ to the central billing processing device 1.

The vehicle-mounted device information reading unit 304 reads the vehicle-mounted device vehicle type classification information written to the IC card at the entrance toll booth G2.

The billing processing unit 305 refers to the notification table TT to identify the fare fluctuation information DV related to the exit vehicle identification information DJ, and performs billing processing at a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information DV.

For example, the billing processing unit 305 may refer to the notification table TT recorded in the local recording medium 34 and perform billing processing for each arriving vehicle A.
For example, if the exit toll gate G3 where vehicle A arrived is subject to the fare fluctuation information DV, the billing processing unit 305 may perform billing processing at a billing amount according to the identified fare fluctuation information DV.

For example, the billing processing unit 305 may refer to the notification table TT recorded on the local recording medium 34 to further identify the vehicle type classification information DC related to the exit vehicle identification information DJ acquired by the exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302, and perform billing processing with a billing amount according to the vehicle type classification information DC and the fare fluctuation information DV.

For example, the billing processing unit 305 may search the notification table TT with the exit vehicle identification information DJ, and when vehicle identification information DI that matches the exit vehicle identification information DJ is found, it may identify the vehicle type classification information DC and fare fluctuation information DV related to the vehicle identification information DI, and perform billing processing with a billing amount according to the vehicle type classification information DC and fare fluctuation information DV.

(Functional configuration of the main line billing processing device)
As shown in FIG. 5, the main line billing processing device 4 functionally comprises a record processing unit 401 , a main line vehicle information acquisition unit 402 , a main line transmission unit 403 , and an on-board device information writing unit 404 .

For example, the main line billing processing device 4 may have a hardware configuration including a CPU 40, a memory 41, a communication interface 42, a roadside equipment interface 43, and a recording medium 44.

The CPU 40 is a processor that performs various functions by operating according to a program prepared in advance. The functions of the CPU 40 will be described later.
The memory 41 has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 40 .
The communication interface 42 is a connection interface for communicatively connecting to the central billing processing device 1 via a wide area communication network.
The roadside equipment interface 43 is a connection interface for communicating with roadside equipment (wireless communication device 4A, vehicle type discrimination device 4B) provided on each lane of the main toll gate G4.
The recording medium 44 is a local recording medium provided within the main line billing processing device 4, and is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD.

The roadside devices connected to the main line toll processing device 4 (wireless communication device 4A and vehicle type discrimination device 4B) are similar to the wireless communication device 2A and vehicle type discrimination device 2B installed at the entrance toll gate G2, so their explanation will be omitted.

Next, we will explain the functions of the CPU 40 of the main line billing processing device 4.

The CPU 40 operates according to a pre-prepared program to perform the functions of a recording processing unit 401, a main line vehicle information acquisition unit 402, a main line transmission unit 403, and an on-board device information writing unit 404.

The recording processing unit 401 records data relating to each process on the local recording medium 44 .
For example, the recording processing unit 401 may record the notification table TT delivered from the central billing processing device 1 in the local recording medium 44 .

The main line vehicle information acquisition unit 402 acquires vehicle information D of the vehicle A that has arrived at the main line toll gate G4 through the wireless communication device 4A and the vehicle type discrimination device 4B.
For example, the vehicle information D acquired by the main line vehicle information acquisition unit 402 may include vehicle identification information DI capable of identifying the vehicle A, and vehicle type classification information DC determined using detection results such as the number of axles of vehicle A.
For example, the main line transmitting unit 403 may transmit vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI and vehicle type classification information DC to the central billing processing device 1 .

The vehicle-mounted device information writing unit 404 reads the vehicle-mounted device vehicle type classification information that is preregistered in the vehicle-mounted device C (Figure 1) and writes it to the IC card set in the vehicle-mounted device C.

(Functional configuration of the entrance FF billing processing device)
As shown in FIG. 6, the entrance FF billing processing device 5 functionally comprises a recording processing unit 501 , an entrance FF vehicle information acquisition unit 502 , an entrance FF transmission unit 503 , and an in-vehicle information writing unit 504 .

For example, the entrance FF billing processing device 5 may have a hardware configuration including a CPU 50, a memory 51, a communication interface 52, a roadside equipment interface 53, and a recording medium 54.

The CPU 50 is a processor that performs various functions by operating according to a pre-prepared program. The functions of the CPU 50 will be described later.
The memory 51 has a storage area necessary for the operation of the CPU 50 .
The communication interface 52 is a connection interface for communicatively connecting to the central billing processing device 1 via a wide area communication network.
The roadside equipment interface 53 is a connection interface for communicating with roadside equipment (wireless communication device 5A, roadside camera 5B) provided in the entrance FF lane L2F.
The recording medium 54 is a local recording medium provided within the entrance FF accounting processing device 5, and is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or SSD.

The wireless communication device 5A, which is a roadside device connected to the entrance FF charging processing device 5, is similar to the wireless communication device 2A provided at the entrance toll gate G2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.
The roadside camera 5B is a camera installed on the roadside and captures an image of the vehicle A traveling in the entrance FF lane L2F. The roadside camera 5B is capable of acquiring a vehicle image showing the exterior of each vehicle in association with the vehicle identification information DI obtained through the wireless communication device 5A.

Next, we will explain the functions of the CPU 50 of the entrance FF billing processing device 5.

The CPU 50 operates according to a pre-prepared program to perform the functions of a recording processing unit 501, an entrance FF vehicle information acquisition unit 502, an entrance FF transmission unit 503, and an on-board device information writing unit 504.

The recording processing unit 501 records data relating to each process on the local recording medium 54 .
For example, the recording processing unit 501 may record the notification table TT delivered from the central billing processing device 1 in the local recording medium 54 .

The entrance FF vehicle information acquisition unit 502 acquires vehicle information D of vehicle A traveling on the entrance FF lane L2F through the wireless communication device 5A. The vehicle information D acquired here includes vehicle identification information DI that can identify the vehicle A. However, since no vehicle type discrimination device is installed on the entrance FF lane L2F, the vehicle information D acquired here does not include vehicle type classification information DC based on the detection results of the number of axles, etc.

The entrance FF transmission unit 503 transmits vehicle information D, which includes vehicle identification information DI but does not include vehicle type classification information DC, to the central billing processing device 1.

The vehicle-mounted device information writing unit 504 reads the vehicle-mounted device vehicle type classification information that is preregistered in the vehicle-mounted device C (Figure 1) and writes it to the IC card set in the vehicle-mounted device C.

(Example of vehicle information and notification table)
Below, with reference to Figures 7 and 8, we will explain in detail the data contents of the vehicle information D that is sequentially acquired by the entrance billing processing device 2, etc. and transmitted to the central billing processing device 1, and the data contents of the notification table TT created by the central billing processing device 1.

As shown in Figure 7, vehicle information D includes "vehicle identification information,""toll gate number,""lanenumber,""processing date, time, and minute,""IC card information,""vehicle type classification information,""number plate information," and "vehicle image data."
For example, the "vehicle image data" may be only information on the storage destination.
For example, the "vehicle identification information" may be an "on-board device ID."

Among the vehicle information D acquired by the entrance vehicle information acquisition unit 202 of the entrance charging processing device 2, “vehicle identification information,” “IC card information,” “number plate information,” etc. are information obtained through wireless communication between the wireless communication device 2A and the vehicle-mounted device C.
For example, the "vehicle type classification information" may be vehicle type classification information DC obtained through the vehicle type discrimination device 2B.
For example, the "vehicle type classification information" may be vehicle type classification information DC obtained through the vehicle type discrimination device 4B.

If a vehicle type discrimination device 4B is installed at the main line toll gate G4, the main line billing processing device 4 can obtain "vehicle type classification information" based on the detection results of the number of axles, etc. Therefore, the vehicle information D obtained by the main line vehicle information acquisition unit 402 of the main line billing processing device 4 includes "vehicle type classification information" based on the number of axles, etc., like the vehicle information D obtained by the entrance vehicle information acquisition unit 202 of the entrance billing processing device 2.
On the other hand, since no vehicle type discrimination device is installed in the entrance FF lane L2F, the vehicle information D acquired by the entrance FF vehicle information acquisition unit 502 of the entrance FF charging processing device 5 does not include "vehicle type classification information."

FIG. 8 shows an example of the contents of the notification table TT created by the table creating section 104 of the central billing processing device 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, the notification table TT includes fee fluctuation information DV.
For example, the notification table TT may include vehicle type classification information DC.
The notification table TT is formed by collecting the vehicle information D received from each billing processing device.
For example, the notification table TT may collect vehicle information D related to all vehicles traveling on the toll road U at each point in time.
For example, in the notification table TT, the fare fluctuation information DV may be attached in association with any of the aggregated vehicle information D. In the case shown in Fig. 8, among the aggregated vehicle information D, the fare fluctuation information DV is attached in association with each of the vehicle information D in the second to fifth rows from the top.

(Processing flow of the central charging processing device)
The process flow executed by the central billing processing device 1 will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 9. The process flow shown in Fig. 9 is repeatedly executed by the central billing processing device 1 periodically (for example, once every few seconds, minutes, or tens of minutes, at a cycle shorter than the shortest expected vehicle travel time from the entrance to the exit on the toll road U).

First, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 of the central billing processing device 1 acquires a target entrance IN1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of the toll road U (ST101: step of acquiring a target entrance).

Next, the target exit acquisition unit 102 of the central billing processing device 1 acquires the target exit OUT1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of the toll road U (ST102: step of acquiring the target exit).

Next, the vehicle information acquisition unit 103 of the central billing processing device 1 acquires vehicle information D, including vehicle identification information DI, of vehicle A that has arrived at the target entrance IN1, from the entrance billing processing device installed at the target entrance IN1 (ST103: step of acquiring vehicle information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target entrance).

Next, the table creation unit 104 of the central billing processing device 1 creates a notification table TT that includes the fare fluctuation information DV in association with the vehicle identification information DI (ST104: Step of creating a notification table including fare fluctuation information).

Next, the distribution unit 105 of the central billing processing device 1 distributes the notification table TT, which includes the fee fluctuation information DV, to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1 (ST105: Step of distributing the notification table to the exit billing processing device).

For example, after performing ST105, the process may return to ST101 or ST103 and perform each step again.

(Processing flow of the exit billing processing device)
The process flow executed by the exit charging processing device 3 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

First, the recording processing unit 301 of the exit billing processing device 3 records the notification table TT, which includes the fee fluctuation information DV distributed from the central billing processing device 1, on the recording medium 34 within the exit billing processing device 3 (within its own device) installed at the target exit OUT1 (ST201: step of recording the notification table).

Next, the exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302 of the exit charging processing device 3 acquires the exit vehicle identification information DJ of vehicle A that has arrived at the target exit OUT1 (ST202: step of acquiring exit vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target exit).
For example, in ST202, the exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302 may detect the entry of vehicle A into the exit toll gate G3 of the target exit OUT1.
For example, in ST202, the exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302 may perform wireless communication with the vehicle-mounted unit C of the entering vehicle A via the wireless communication device 3A, and acquire exit vehicle identification information DJ (vehicle-mounted unit ID) etc.

Next, the vehicle-mounted device information reader 304 of the exit billing processing device 3 reads the information written in the IC card at the entrance IN or the main line LM (ST203: step of reading vehicle type classification information).
At this time, for example, the information read by the vehicle-mounted device information reading unit 304 may include vehicle model classification information (vehicle-mounted device vehicle model classification information).

Next, the billing processing unit 305 of the exit billing processing device 3 refers to the notification table TT to identify the fare fluctuation information DV related to the exit vehicle identification information DJ, and performs billing processing at a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information DV (ST204: step of performing billing processing at a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information).
For example, in ST204, the billing processing unit 305 may refer to the notification table TT to identify the vehicle type classification information DC and fare change information DV related to the exit vehicle identification information DJ, and perform billing processing at a billing amount according to the vehicle type classification information DC and the fare change information DV.
For example, the billing processing unit 305 may use the vehicle-mounted device vehicle type classification information read by the vehicle-mounted device information reading unit 304 as vehicle type classification information DC, and perform billing processing at a billing amount according to the vehicle type classification information DC and the fare fluctuation information DV.

For example, in ST204, if the exit vehicle identification information DJ acquired in ST202 is not included in the notification table TT recorded on the local recording medium 34, then for some reason the vehicle information that should be there is not included in the notification table TT of the exit billing processing device 3. Therefore, in this case, the billing processing unit 305 may determine the billing amount using the on-board vehicle type classification information (provisional vehicle type classification information) read at the entrance IN or main line LM, and perform billing processing.

For example, in ST204, the billing processing unit 305 may cause the roadside display 3B to display the billing amount corresponding to the fare fluctuation information DV for which billing processing has been performed.

For example, after performing ST204, the process may return to ST201 or ST202 and perform each step again.

(Action, Effect)
According to this embodiment, the central billing processing device 1 distributes fare variation information DV together with vehicle information D to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.
Therefore, the exit billing processing device 3 can refer to the toll change information DV that has already been received and is to be applied when the vehicle A arrives at the target exit OUT1.
Therefore, the central charging processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of the discounted or increased toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.
For example, the central charging processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform a user of a discounted or increased fare depending on the degree of contribution to congestion.
Furthermore, by identifying the target exit OUT1 to which the fee fluctuation information DV applies and distributing the notification table TT, the central billing processing device 1 can avoid sending data to an exit OUT to which the fee fluctuation information DV does not apply, and therefore the central billing processing device 1 can efficiently immediately charge or immediately inform of the discounted fee or surcharge.

According to one example of this embodiment, the central billing processing device 1 can attach fare change information DV to vehicle information D of vehicle A that arrives at an entrance IN on the same route as the congested section, or an entrance IN heading toward the congested section.
Therefore, the central billing processing device 1 can instantly apply the toll fluctuation to the vehicle A, which is susceptible to congestion, at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

According to one example of this embodiment, the target exit acquisition unit 102 acquires the target exit OUT1 just before the congested section, the target exit OUT1 within the congested section, and the target exit OUT1 at the end of the congested section, thereby enabling the central billing processing device 1 to distribute fee change information DV according to the impact of each target exit OUT1 on the congestion.
Therefore, the central charging processing device 1 can instantly charge or instantly inform the vehicle A using each exit OUT of a discounted or increased fee according to the impact of the exit OUT to be used on congestion.

According to one example of this embodiment, in the notification table TT, the fare fluctuation information DV is related to the positional relationship between the congested section and the target exit OUT1, so that the central billing processing device 1 can distribute the fare fluctuation information DV corresponding to the position of the target exit OUT1 relative to the congestion, together with the vehicle information D.
Therefore, the central charging processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of a discounted or increased charge according to the effect of vehicle A on the congestion.

According to one example of this embodiment, since the notification table TT contains vehicle type classification information DC, the central billing processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of the discounted or increased toll based on the vehicle type classification information DC at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

According to this embodiment, the exit billing processing device 3 can refer to the fare fluctuation information DV to be applied to vehicle A arriving at the target exit OUT1 using a notification table TT containing the fare fluctuation information DV distributed from the central billing processing device 1.
Therefore, the exit charging processing device 3 can instantly charge or instantly inform the driver of the discounted toll or the premium toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(Modification)
In one example of the above-mentioned embodiment, the central billing processing device 1 distributes the notification table TT to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the exit toll gate G3, but the notification table TT may be distributed to any exit billing processing device installed at the target exit OUT1.
As a modified example, the central billing processing device 1 may further distribute the information to an exit FF billing processing device provided corresponding to the "exit FF lane" at the target exit OUT1 of the toll road U. In this case, the exit FF billing processing device may have the same function as the exit billing processing device 3.

In one example of the above-mentioned embodiment, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 identifies a congested section based on congestion information acquired from the congestion information system 8 and definition information for the congested section, and acquires the target entrance IN1, but the target entrance IN1 may be acquired in any way as long as it is related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of the toll road U.
As a modified example, the target entrance acquisition unit 101 may acquire a congested section specified in the congestion information, and acquire a target entrance IN1 related to the acquired congested section.

In one example of the above-mentioned embodiment, the target exit acquisition unit 102 identifies a congested section based on congestion information acquired from the congestion information system 8 and definition information for the congested section, and acquires the target exit OUT1, but the target exit OUT1 may be acquired in any way as long as it is possible to acquire the target exit OUT1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of the toll road U.
As a modified example, the target exit acquisition unit 102 may acquire a congested section specified in the congestion information, and acquire a target exit OUT1 related to the acquired congested section.

In one example of the above-mentioned embodiment, the table creation unit 104 identifies a congested section based on the congestion information obtained from the congestion information system 8 and the definition information of the congested section, and calculates the discount rate and surcharge rate, but the discount rate and surcharge rate may be obtained in any way as long as they can be calculated in real time.
As a variant example, the table creation unit 104 may acquire the congested section specified in the congestion information, and calculate the real-time discount rate and surcharge rate based on the acquired congested section and definition information of the discount rate and surcharge rate related to the congested section.

In one example of the above-described embodiment, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the vehicle identification information DI includes an on-board device ID, but the vehicle identification information may include any information as long as it can uniquely identify each vehicle so as to distinguish it from other vehicles.
As a variant, the vehicle identification information DI may include license plate information.
As another modification, the vehicle identification information DI may include IC card information.

In the example of the embodiment described above, the fee fluctuation information DV includes a discount rate and a surcharge rate, but may include any information that indicates a fee fluctuation.
As a variant, the price fluctuation information DV may include a fluctuation amount (-200 yen, +100 yen, etc.).
As another modification, the fee fluctuation information DV may include a fluctuation rate such as (100-Pa)% in the case of a Pa% discount, or (100+Pc)% in the case of a Pc% surcharge.
As yet another modification, the price fluctuation information DV may include either a discount rate or a surcharge rate.

In one example of the above-mentioned embodiment, the fare fluctuation information DV is a Pb % discount for the target exit OUT1 within the congested section, but it may fluctuate in any way as long as it is related to the positional relationship between the congested section and the target exit OUT1.
As a modified example, the fare fluctuation information DV may vary from Pb1% discount to Pb2% discount for the target exit OUT1 in the congested section depending on the distance from the downstream end of the congested section. In this case, the fare fluctuation information DV may vary so that the discount becomes larger as the distance from the downstream end of the congested section becomes larger.

In one example of the above-described embodiment, the distribution unit 105 distributes the same notification table TT to all target exits OUT1 that are the subject of the fee fluctuation information DV, but any notification table TT that includes the fee fluctuation information DV may be distributed.
As a variant example, the distribution unit 105 may distribute a notification table TT containing only information related to each target exit OUT1 among the target exits OUT1 that are the subject of the fare fluctuation information DV, and may distribute notification tables TT with different contents to each target exit OUT1.

In one example of the above-mentioned embodiment, the various processes executed by the central billing processing device 1, the entrance billing processing device 2, the exit billing processing device 3, the main line billing processing device 4, and the entrance FF billing processing device 5 (the main line FF billing processing device and the exit FF billing processing device) are stored in the form of a program on a computer-readable recording medium, and the above-mentioned various processes are executed by the computer reading and executing this program. In addition, computer-readable recording media refers to magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, semiconductor memories, etc. In addition, the computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communication line, and the computer that receives the distribution may execute the program.

The above program may be for realizing some of the functions described above. Furthermore, it may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

As described above, several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, but all of these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the disclosure. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the claims and their equivalents, as well as in the scope and gist of the disclosure.

<Additional Notes>
The central charging processing device, the toll collection system, the exit charging processing device, the charging processing method, and the program described in each embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

(1) The central billing processing device 1 of the first aspect includes a target entrance acquisition unit 101 that acquires a target entrance IN1 related to a congested section in the congestion status or congestion forecast of the toll road U, a target exit acquisition unit 102 that acquires a target exit OUT1 related to the congested section, a vehicle information acquisition unit 103 that acquires vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of a vehicle A that has arrived at the target entrance IN1 from an entrance billing processing device 2, 5 installed at the target entrance IN1, a table creation unit 104 that creates a notification table TT that includes fare fluctuation information DV based on the congested section so as to be related to the vehicle identification information DI, and a distribution unit 105 that distributes the notification table TT to an exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.

According to this embodiment, the central billing processing device 1 distributes the fare fluctuation information DV together with the vehicle information D to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.
Therefore, when vehicle A arrives at the target exit OUT1, the exit billing processing device 3 can refer to the received toll change information DV to be applied.
Therefore, the central charging processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of the discounted or increased toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.
Furthermore, by identifying the target exit OUT1 to which the fee fluctuation information DV applies and distributing the notification table TT, the central billing processing device 1 can avoid sending data to an exit OUT to which the fee fluctuation information DV does not apply, and therefore the central billing processing device 1 can efficiently immediately charge or immediately inform of the discounted fee or surcharge.

(2) The second aspect of the central charging processing device 1 is the central charging processing device 1 of (1) in which the target entrance acquisition unit 101 acquires, as the target entrance IN1, an entrance IN on the same route as the congested section, or an entrance IN heading towards the congested section.

According to this aspect, the central billing processing device 1 can attach fare fluctuation information DV to the vehicle information D of vehicle A that has arrived at an entrance IN on the same route as the congested section, or an entrance IN heading towards the congested section.
Therefore, the central charging processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform the vehicle A, which is likely to be affected by congestion, of a discounted toll or a surcharge at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(3) The central billing processing device 1 of the third aspect is the central billing processing device 1 of (1) or (2) in which the target exit acquisition unit 102 acquires the target exit OUT1 just before the congested section, the target exit OUT1 within the congested section, and the target exit OUT1 at the end of the congested section.

According to this embodiment, the central billing processing device 1 can distribute fee variation information DV according to the effect on congestion at each target exit OUT1.
Therefore, the central charging processing device 1 can instantly charge or instantly inform the vehicle A using each exit OUT of a discounted or increased fee according to the impact of the exit OUT to be used on congestion.

(4) The fourth aspect of the central billing processing device 1 is a central billing processing device 1 of any one of (1) to (3) in which, in the notification table TT, the fare fluctuation information DV is related to the positional relationship between the congested section and the target exit OUT1.

According to this embodiment, the central billing processing device 1 can distribute, together with the vehicle information D, the fee variation information DV corresponding to the position of the target exit OUT1 relative to the congestion.
Therefore, the central charging processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of a discounted or increased charge according to the effect of vehicle A on the congestion.

(5) The fifth aspect of the central billing processing device 1 is a central billing processing device 1 of any one of (1) to (4) in which the notification table TT includes vehicle type classification information DC.

According to this embodiment, the central billing processing device 1 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of the discounted or increased toll charge according to the vehicle type classification information DC at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(6) The toll collection system 9 of the sixth aspect comprises a central charging processing device 1 of any one of (1) to (5), the entrance charging processing devices 2 and 5, and the exit charging processing device 3.

According to this embodiment, the toll collection system 9 distributes the toll fluctuation information DV together with the vehicle information D to the exit charging processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.
Therefore, the exit charging processing device 3 can refer to the fare fluctuation information DV that should be applied to the vehicle A.
Therefore, the toll collection system 9 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of the discounted toll or the surcharge at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(7) The seventh aspect of the exit billing processing device 3 is an exit billing processing device 3 installed at a target exit OUT1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of a toll road U, and includes a recording processing unit 301 that records a notification table TT including the fare fluctuation information DV based on the congestion situation or congestion forecast distributed from the central billing processing device 1 in association with the vehicle identification information DI of a vehicle A that has arrived at the target entrance IN1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast on a recording medium 34 in the exit billing processing device 3, an exit vehicle information acquisition unit 302 that acquires the exit vehicle identification information DJ of the vehicle A that has arrived at the target exit OUT1, and a billing processing unit 305 that identifies the fare fluctuation information DV related to the exit vehicle identification information DJ by referring to the notification table TT and performs billing processing with a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information DV.

According to this embodiment, the exit billing processing device 3 can refer to the fare fluctuation information DV to be applied to the vehicle A that has arrived at the target exit OUT1 using the notification table TT containing the fare fluctuation information DV distributed from the central billing processing device 1.
Therefore, the exit charging processing device 3 can instantly charge or instantly inform the driver of the discounted toll or the premium toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(8) The eighth aspect of the billing processing method involves obtaining a target entrance IN1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of a toll road U, obtaining a target exit OUT1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast, obtaining vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of a vehicle A that has arrived at the target entrance IN1 from an entrance billing processing device 2, 5 installed at the target entrance IN1, creating a notification table TT including fare fluctuation information DV based on the congestion situation or the congestion forecast in association with the vehicle identification information DI, and distributing the notification table TT to an exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.

According to this aspect, the billing processing method distributes fare variation information DV together with vehicle information D to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.
Therefore, the exit charging processing device 3 can refer to the fare fluctuation information DV that should be applied to the vehicle A.
Therefore, the charging processing method can immediately charge or immediately inform the user of the discounted or increased toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(9) The ninth aspect of the billing processing method involves recording a notification table TT, which includes fare fluctuation information DV based on the congestion status or congestion forecast of the toll road U distributed from the central billing processing device 1 in association with the vehicle identification information DI of vehicle A arriving at the target entrance IN1 associated with the congestion status or congestion forecast, in a recording medium 34 in an exit billing processing device 3 installed at a target exit OUT1 associated with the congestion status or congestion forecast, obtaining the exit vehicle identification information DJ of vehicle A arriving at the target exit OUT1, referring to the notification table TT to identify the fare fluctuation information DV associated with the exit vehicle identification information DJ, and performing billing processing with a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information DV.

According to this embodiment, the billing processing method can refer to the fare fluctuation information DV to be applied to vehicle A arriving at the target exit OUT1 at the target exit OUT1 using a notification table TT including fare fluctuation information DV distributed from the central billing processing device 1.
Therefore, the exit charging processing device 3 can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of the discounted toll or the premium toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(10) The program of the tenth aspect causes the computer of the central billing processing device 1 to acquire a target entrance IN1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of the toll road U, acquire a target exit OUT1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast, acquire vehicle information D including vehicle identification information DI of a vehicle A that has arrived at the target entrance IN1 from the entrance billing processing device 2, 5 installed at the target entrance IN1, create a notification table TT including fare fluctuation information DV based on the congestion situation or the congestion forecast in association with the vehicle identification information DI, and distribute the notification table TT to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.

According to this embodiment, the program distributes the fare variation information DV together with the vehicle information D to the exit billing processing device 3 installed at the target exit OUT1.
Therefore, the program can cause the exit charging processing device 3 to refer to the fare fluctuation information DV that should be applied to vehicle A.
Therefore, the program can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of a discounted or increased toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

(11) The program of the eleventh aspect causes a computer of an exit billing processing device 3 installed at a target exit OUT1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast of a toll road U to record a notification table TT in a recording medium 34 in the exit billing processing device 3, the notification table TT including the fare fluctuation information DV based on the congestion situation or congestion forecast distributed from the central billing processing device 1 so as to be related to the vehicle identification information DI of a vehicle A that has arrived at a target entrance IN1 related to the congestion situation or congestion forecast, obtain the exit vehicle identification information DJ of the vehicle A that has arrived at the target exit OUT1, refer to the notification table TT to identify the fare fluctuation information DV related to the exit vehicle identification information DJ, and perform billing processing with a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information DV.

According to this embodiment, the program can cause the exit billing processing device 3 to refer to the fare fluctuation information DV to be applied to vehicle A arriving at the target exit OUT1 using a notification table TT containing fare fluctuation information DV distributed from the central billing processing device 1.
Therefore, the program can immediately charge or immediately inform the driver of a discounted or increased toll at the exit OUT of the toll road U.

1 Central billing processing device 2 Entrance billing processing device 2A Wireless communication device 2B Vehicle type discrimination device 3 Exit billing processing device 3A Wireless communication device 3B Roadside display 4 Main line billing processing device 4A Wireless communication device 4B Vehicle type discrimination device 5 Entrance FF billing processing device (entrance billing processing device)
5A Wireless communication device 5B Roadside camera 7 Information definition system 8 Traffic congestion information system 9 Toll collection system 10 CPU
11 Memory 12 Communication interface 13 Recording medium 20 CPU
21 Memory 22 Communication interface 23 Roadside equipment interface 24 Recording medium 30 CPU
31 Memory 32 Communication interface 33 Roadside equipment interface 34 Recording medium 40 CPU
41 Memory 42 Communication interface 43 Roadside equipment interface 44 Recording medium 50 CPU
51 Memory 52 Communication interface 53 Roadside equipment interface 54 Recording medium 101 Target entrance acquisition unit 102 Target exit acquisition unit 103 Vehicle information acquisition unit 104 Table creation unit 105 Distribution unit 201 Recording processing unit 202 Entrance vehicle information acquisition unit 203 Entrance transmission unit 204 Vehicle-mounted device information writing unit 301 Recording processing unit 302 Exit vehicle information acquisition unit 303 Exit transmission unit 304 Vehicle-mounted device information reading unit 305 Billing processing unit 401 Recording processing unit 402 Main line vehicle information acquisition unit 403 Main line transmission unit 404 Vehicle-mounted device information writing unit 501 Recording processing unit 502 Entrance FF vehicle information acquisition unit 503 Entrance FF transmission unit 504 Vehicle-mounted device information writing unit A Vehicle C Vehicle-mounted device D Vehicle information DC Vehicle type classification information DI Vehicle identification information DJ Exit vehicle identification information DV Toll fluctuation information G2 Entrance toll gate G3 Exit toll gate G4 Main toll gate G5 Entrance free flow IN Entrance IN1 Target entrance L2 Entering lane L2F Entrance FF lane L3 Exiting lane LM Main line OUT Exit OUT1 Target exit TT Notification table U Toll road

Claims (11)

a target entrance acquisition unit for acquiring a target entrance related to a congestion section in a congestion state or a congestion forecast of a toll road;
a target exit acquisition unit that acquires a target exit related to the congestion section;
a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target entrance from an entrance charging processing device installed at the target entrance;
a table creation unit that creates a notification table including the toll fluctuation information based on the congestion section in association with the vehicle identification information;
a distribution unit that distributes the notification table to an exit charging device installed at the target exit. The central billing processing device according to claim 1, wherein the target entrance acquisition unit acquires, as the target entrance, an entrance on the same route as the congested section, or an entrance leading to the congested section. The central billing processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the target exit acquisition unit acquires the target exit just before the congested section, the target exit within the congested section, and the target exit beyond the congested section. The central billing processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the notification table, the fare fluctuation information is related to the positional relationship between the congested section and the target exit. The central billing processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification table includes vehicle type classification information. A central charging processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
the entrance charging processing device;
A fee collection system comprising the exit charging processing device. An exit charging device installed at a target exit related to a congestion situation or congestion forecast of a toll road,
a recording processing unit that records a notification table including the fee fluctuation information based on the congestion situation or the congestion forecast, which is distributed from the central billing processing device, in association with vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at a target entrance related to the congestion situation or the congestion forecast, on a recording medium in the exit billing processing device;
an exit vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires exit vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target exit;
an exit charging processing device comprising: a charging processing unit that refers to the notification table, identifies the fare fluctuation information related to the exit vehicle identification information, and performs charging processing at a charging amount according to the fare fluctuation information. Acquire target entrances related to traffic congestion status or traffic congestion forecasts of toll roads;
Acquire a target exit related to the traffic congestion situation or the traffic congestion prediction;
Acquire vehicle information including vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target entrance from an entrance charging processing device installed at the target entrance;
creating a notification table including fare fluctuation information based on the traffic congestion situation or the traffic congestion forecast in association with the vehicle identification information;
a billing processing method for distributing the notification table to an exit billing processing device installed at the target exit; a notification table including information on toll fluctuations based on the congestion status or congestion forecast of the toll road, which information is distributed from a central billing processing device, in association with vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at a target entrance related to the congestion status or congestion forecast, in a recording medium in an exit billing processing device installed at a target exit related to the congestion status or congestion forecast;
Acquire exit vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target exit;
A billing processing method for identifying the fare fluctuation information related to the exit vehicle identification information by referring to the notification table, and performing billing processing at a billing amount according to the fare fluctuation information. The computer of the central billing processing unit
Acquire target entrances related to traffic congestion status or traffic congestion forecasts of toll roads;
Acquire a target exit related to the traffic congestion situation or the traffic congestion prediction;
acquiring vehicle information including vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target entrance from an entrance charging processing device installed at the target entrance;
creating a notification table including fare fluctuation information based on the traffic congestion situation or the traffic congestion forecast in association with the vehicle identification information;
A program for causing the program to execute the delivery of the notification table to an exit charging processing device installed at the target exit. A computer of an exit charging processing device installed at a target exit related to the congestion status or congestion forecast of a toll road,
a notification table including the fee fluctuation information based on the congestion situation or the congestion forecast, which is distributed from the central billing processing device, in association with vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at a target entrance related to the congestion situation or the congestion forecast, is recorded on a recording medium in the exit billing processing device;
Acquire exit vehicle identification information of a vehicle that has arrived at the target exit;
A program for executing the steps of: referring to the notification table, identifying the fare fluctuation information related to the exit vehicle identification information, and performing charging processing with a charging amount according to the fare fluctuation information.

Images